Fun With Extremis
by RebellionInDreamland
Summary: Tony and Pepper reflect on their lives as they deal with the unexpected side-effects of extremis. Featuring all of the Avengers. [Major IM3 spoilers.]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: In regards to Tony having extremis:**

**No, he does not officially get the virus in the movies. However, it's implied that it's the reason he can operate out the shrapnel and I like Tony with extremis, so I'm going with it.**

* * *

Tony sat staring out at the vast expanse of New York stretched out in front of him. Now that his mansion was gone, he and Pepper had needed somewhere to stay, and Stark Tower had just felt right. Especially since it had become the unofficial base of the Avengers. They all had their own living quarters; as to how much they were used varied from Avenger to Avenger.

Tony absent-mindedly tapped his chest where the arc reactor had sat for so many years. He still wasn't fully over the emptiness, or rather, fullness of muscle and skin which filled the hole left by the reactor. There had been two things stopping Tony from removing the damn shrapnel from his chest: the uncertainty of the operation, and the aforementioned gaping hole. Extremis solved both these problems.

Of course, in hindsight the physical issues weren't the only thing stopping him. The arc reactor had become his anchor in a vast sea of changes. As long as it was still quietly humming he was still alive, and if he was still alive then he wasn't dead. Tony smiled at the though. It sounded stupid looking back on it, but it was how he'd felt. No wonder the palladium poisoning had affected him so much. Regardless, even if he'd had the possibility of operating away the metal shards, he probably wouldn't have taken it.

Then Pepper appeared. Well, appeared is probably the wrong word. She had always been there, helping him deal with... everything, but it was only recently that she'd been _there_. She had slowly taken over the role of his anchor, though it had, as usual, taken him far longer to realise than it should have.

It took Pepper falling, her hand just inches from his, into what seemed like the fires of Hell themself for him to realise just how much she meant to him. Tony's hand clenched involuntarily at the memory. In that moment he would have given anything to catch her. His money, his suits, _his life even_. After the impossibility of getting her back, the Clean Slate protocol seemed like nothing. And besides, what is Christmas if not a time to do stupid things for a good cause?

He'd never give up on his suits completely. There would be times when the world would need them, just as he had. But now Pepper was safe. Extremis saw to that. Her safety made him far happier than tinkering ever could. And really, how hard could living with extremis be?

-/-/-

"Hey, Tony!"

The shout came from Tony's right as he entered the room, and he turned to see Clint waving at him. Clint was sitting on the edge of the Olympic-sized swimming pool, dangling his feet in the water and playing with the towel around his neck. All in all, he looked like quite the relaxed tourist, right down to the hideous purple board shorts. Tourist he was not though; only Steve surpassed him in time spent at Stark Tower.

Tony sat down next to Clint, following Clint's example in dipping his legs in the water. While he was curious as to why Clint had asked to see him in the pool of all places, a far more important issue had appeared.

"Of all the infinite colours there are in the world you considered _that_," Tony said, pointing an accusing finger at Clint's bathers "to be worth buying?"

"Nothing wrong with purple."

"I mean, it would be considered community service to disintegrate them, yet you chose to wear them?" Tony's outrage was making itself known by his constant gesturing to the offending article of clothing.

"Yeah? Well you can't talk mister lime-green-with-red-swirls." Clint shot back.

And it was true, Tony's own board shorts were a rather bright shade of green.

"Pepper bought them for me, and that means they're automatically stylish and tasteful. Besides, did Pepper buy you bathers? Of course not. That's absurd. Why would she? I don't even know why you brought it up..."

Clint simply sat there straight-faced, waiting for Tony's brain to catch up to his mouth. It took Tony rambling about half a shopping trip to Milan, but he eventually stopped talking. Though, Clint suspected, that may have been because of a lack of breath rather than running out of things to say.

"Actually, Pepper, or at least, something related to Pepper is the reason I called you here."

Clint felt the immediate shift in the air as Tony turned his full attention to Clint. He hesitated, composing himself as he wondered how to begin.

"You know how you and Pepper are possibly the most gossiped-about people in the world?"

Clint was decidedly _not _looking at Tony as he talked.

"And that there are lots of strange people on the internet?"

Indeed, everything in and around the pool seemed to be of great interest to him, though there was no way he could fail to notice the dangerously orange tinge shining through Tony's skin.

"Well, someone sent me a link to a website where, uh..." Clint paused again, waiting for some kind of response from Tony. None came, so he pressed on.

"So this site, it has photos of models with, ah, Pepper's face pasted on them." By this point Clint was unable to keep a tiny smile from flitting over his lips.

"I have some of the photos, if you'd like to have a look." Clint was trying his damnedest to keep a straight face, and was, for the most part, failing miserably.

Tony slowly unclenched his hands from the fists they'd become. He'd have time to wipe the smirk of Clint's face later. Right now there were more pressing issues to deal with. Tony snatched the photos from Clint's hands. As he looked at the photos steam started rising from the water around Tony's legs. Most of the photos weren't even good manipulations. That wasn't the problem. It was the fact that these internet-people were taking someone as wonderful and beautiful and _perfect _as Pepper and degrading her. He knew he was showing the effects of extremis, but he didn't care.

There was one last photo he'd not seen. Tony flipped the page with shaking hands. When he'd processed what was on in the page the entire stack burst into flames.

Tony was vaguely aware of Clint shouting something, and before he knew what was happening two strong hands shoved him forwards and, arms flailing, he was in the water.

_One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi._

Tony's head broke the surface and he gasped for air, kicking his feet to- Tony grunted in pain as his foot hit the ground. He stopped and glanced around him. He was standing on his knees in water that barely reached his waist. The rest of the pool was covered in a thick white haze, as was seemingly the rest of the room.

Through the fog came the unmistakeable sound of laughter. Tony picked out three- no, four voices. Clint, Thor, Bruce, and... Steve? Tony's eyes narrowed.

_"Now, Thor!"_

That's what Clint had shouted. The gears were quickly clicking into place as Tony climbed out of the pool. The location, Clint's smirking, and what he saw through the rapidly dissipating fog.

The group's laughter had subsided into the occasional giggle; Thor, Steve, and Clint had finally recovered enough to hand Bruce a ten dollar note each.

"Right." Tony's voice pierced the air. For a man who'd just been pushed into a pool, Tony was suspiciously dry.

"Which one of you thought this up?" Thor and Clint opened their mouths to speak, but Tony cut them off.

"It can't have been Grease over here." Tony pointed at Thor. "There's no way he'd be clever enough to think of this. He'd probably just hit me."

Thor nodded, then realised he should probably defend himself, but Tony moved on before he could speak.

"Spangles is far too goody-goody to think this up." Tony shot a scathing glance at him. "Though evidently that doesn't extend to going along with the nefarious plans of others."

Steve raised his hands defensively. Tony ignored him and continued.

"Big green and hairy over here understands what it's like to have anger issues." Bruce had the courtesy to look slightly guilty, but a smile was still playing around his lips.

"Which leaves bird-boy as the only available candidate!" Tony stopped in front of Clint, who was still letting out the occasional giggle. Upon seeing the glint of orange in Tony's eyes Clint stopped and met Tony's gaze.

"Yeah, 'twas I who dunnit and all that. You gotta admit, it was pretty funny. And don't look at me like that. I lost ten dollars on this." Tony let out a snort at Clint's crestfallen face.

"What did you bet on? How many unbroken bones you'd have left in your body after this?" Tony was joking, but the glint remained.

"The temperature of the pool water post-Stark." Steve chimed in. "Banner was the only one who thought any water would disappear."

"And besides, Bruce gave me the info on extremis." Clint said, trying to absolve himself of at least some responsibility. Tony turned to Bruce.

"It was pretty hard to miss the file that you left in the lab, Tony." Bruce said in response to Tony's unasked question.

Tony sighed. "So that's where it was."

"All fun and games aside," Steve cut in, an earnest look on his face "we do need to know what happens when you get angry, and how we can stop any potential accidents from happening." Steve glanced around and smiled.

"We might need a bit more water next time though."

Tony heard Clint snigger from behind him. Tony silenced him with a glare.

"And the photos and website? Are they real?" Tony asked sharply. The group pointed at Clint.

Clint grimaced. "Yes. However," he hastened to add, as the orange became more apparent in Tony's eyes. "Pepper's been informed, and she's apparently 'dealt with it'." Clint used his fingers to make air quotes. "Her words, not mine."

"Why wasn't I the first person to know about this?" Tony demanded.

"Look around you." Bruce said.

The haze was almost gone, allowing Tony to see the melted plastic where his legs had been touching the pool deck, and the ashes of the incinerated photographs. Thank god for heat-proof underwear. Tony finally acknowledged Bruce's point with a nod.

"What about you, Zeus? Why are you involved?" Tony asked Thor, prodding him in the chest as he spoke.

"The hawk offered the chance of pushing thee into a vast pool of water." Thor grinned. "I thought it inconsiderate to ignore one's friends, especially as they so desperately needed my assistance."

This response set the others off giggling again. Tony sighed and started walking towards the exit. Halfway there he turned.

"You better refill my pool, Captain Responsible!"

This did nothing to stem their amusement, so Tony left them there. As their laughter faded behind him he couldn't help but smile. Maybe the Avengers Initiative did have a future after all. Not that he'd ever tell Fury though.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, this was fun to write. It does get a bit angsty, but there's a happy ending!**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Falling_

_Heat_

_Fire_

_Burning_

_TONY!_

Pepper shot up, heart hammering in her chest. She needed to save Tony. The world was red-hot all around her. She'd stop Killian, no matter what. But the heat drained away, and slowly the flames faded, revealing a darkened bedroom, which she knew so well. In bed next to her came the sound of deep breathing, reassuring her that Tony had made his way to bed, and was sleeping soundly. He was safe. Pepper sighed, and fell back into the bed. At least the nightmares were less frequent than before. She pressed herself against him, focusing on his breathing, letting it soothe her into the depths of oblivion.

-/-/-

"Ah, Ms Potts. We've been waiting for you."

Pepper nodded slightly and slid the door shut behind her. Feeling the board's eyes on her, she walked to the head of the long glass table. Though she had done this half a dozen times, it still felt odd to sit in leather chair, which by all rights should belong to Tony. The gold-embroidered STARK on the back of it was a testament to that. And it still did, in a way. He trusted her to do the job he couldn't. Or perhaps just wasn't interested it. It amounted to the same.

"Are we ready to begin?"

The same man who'd greeted her spoke again. He was an old friend- he had been there when the company was founded, and though he must have been nearing eighty, it seemed he'd be there for quite a while yet.

"Yes, go ahead." Pepper said, waiting for him to speak again.

"What are the Avengers?" This voice belonged however, to someone quite different. It belonged to the youngest member of the board, James Ellison.

"Heroes or villains, depending on who you ask. But they're more than that. They're a business opportunity which we cannot afford to pass up."

Ellison had been all but unknown to Pepper and the rest of the board but six months ago. He'd started as an analyst, and possessing the dangerous combination of intelligence and ambition, had shot up the company ranks.

"I have with me the initial designs of merchandise for each Avenger."

He was not young though, Pepper thought, as she watched him pass small plastic figurines to each of the board members. Somewhere in the late thirties, probably. The first wrinkles were beginning to form around his eyes, and his slicked-back hair was thinning, and greying around the temples.

"We'll need to restructure parts of Stark Industries' factories, but I'm confident that we can get production up and running within a month." Ellison finished with a proud smile, and turned to Pepper, waiting for her response.

Pepper paused. "It's certainly an interesting idea, but where has this all come from? We've never made toys before."

"All the more reason to get involved now." Ellison's face was deadly serious.

"Don't you think it's a little sudden? I mean, New York was only a year ago." Pepper said.

"And how did the people react when it was all over?" Ellison countered. "By dressing up as their favourite Avenger. By getting tattoos of them." By this point he was leaning over the table, gesturing as he spoke. "People have already started selling Avengers merchandise, but we're in a position where we can sell _official_, Avengers-approved goods. It'll blow our competition out of the water."

Pepper was growing more and more frustrated with Ellison's stubbornness. "Have you contacted any of them about this?" At the shake of Ellison's head, she continued. "How do you know they'll agree to it?"

"I'm sure with a little... persuasion, they'll be all for the idea." Ellison finished with a grin that was just slightly too wide.

Pepper could feel the heat rising though her body. Had any of the board members looked deep into her eyes they would have seen a strange orange glint forming. As it were they were too busy inspecting the prototypes, and the notes in front of them. Pepper took a deep breath, and prepared herself for one last attempt at dissuading Ellison.

"James, your ideas are certainly well thought-out, and I'm sure there's a time for them. But not right now. The Avengers need some time out of the spotlight, some time to recover without seeing their faces in the windows of every toy store in New York." And, Pepper added silently, some semblance of a normal life outside of saving the world. Ellison's face had lost its smile over the course of Pepper's speech, and he now sat silent, a frown etched into his features.

Pepper smiled her best pacifying smile and turned to the rest of the board when Ellison spoke again.

"Iron Man wouldn't sell much anyway. Not now that Stark's removed his only selling point." Ellison's jaw was set, and Pepper could see the hurt in his eyes.

Something snapped in Pepper. She'd come so close to losing Tony and everything she cared for, and she was tired, and today was just a _bad _day. Before she resailed what she was doing, she'd slammed her hands down on the conference table hard enough to send a crack running down it. She was breathing heavily, and when she spoke, her voice was laced with fury,

"Tony's given the world far more than he ever needed to as Iron Man. He saved me and you and everyone in New York, but all you care about is his worth as a lump of plastic? That _reactor_" Pepper's feelings towards it were made clear by the vehemence with which she said the word, "nearly killed him."

Pepper stopped only to draw breath before continuing. "So yes. Maybe you won't make as much money off him. But he is more than his suit, or his money, or his damn reactor. He's a person. A person who is sometimes Iron Man, but is always Tony, metal in his chest or not. And if any of you want to change that, you'll have to go through me."

Pepper's eyes were almost glowing orange, and the temperature in the room had grown uncomfortably hot. She stared the board down, daring them to take her challenge, but what she saw in their eyes shocked her out of her furore. In the twelve pairs of eyes looking back at her, she saw fear. Real, unshakable fear. Even Ellison, who still held his head up proudly, was trembling slightly.

Pepper realised that she'd been gripping the table hard enough to create indentations in the glass. Letting go quickly, she tried to find words to explain, to apologise, to fix it.

"Oh god. I'm so sorry. I'll just- it's- I have to go."

Pepper grabbed her folder and hurried out of the room, feeling the eyes of the board following her, and their questions, long after she'd left the building.

-/-/-

Pepper sat in the shade on a bench in Central Park, watching the world pass by around her. It was a beautiful summer's day; the sun shone over the families spread out in front of her on a patchwork of picnic blankets. Adults talked and threw footballs, children chased them, ducks, and each other. They all looked so _happy_. As if they weren't running from super powers they never asked for.

Pepper smiled bitterly at the thought. Being invincible- no, not invincible. Pepper caught herself as images of Killian's death at her hands flashed though her mind. She shuddered at the memory. Not invincible. Just very hard to kill. Being very hard to kill had its downsides.

An infant squealed somewhere in the distance in front of her. It was soon silenced by its mother's cooing.

God, even Tony had been scared of her. She'd only seen a glimpse of it before he had recovered, and within seconds his arms were around her and the sky was alive with the best Christmas present he could possibly have given her. But that moment refused to go away, no matter how much she wished it would. Maybe if-

"Not often you see a CEO alone in Central Park."

Pepper was dragged from her contemplations by the person's comment. She turned and saw Natal- _Natasha _sitting next to her. For all that Pepper had been through, she still had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that Tony's former assistant was the legendary Black Widow. Not that she looked it now though, dressed in a light summer dress, straw hat and sunglasses. A far cry from Pepper's black pant suit. Natasha completed the outfit with an ice cream, which she was eating in a way that made Pepper blush.

"You seem to be enjoying that."

Natasha stopped fondling the dessert to look at Pepper. "Barton's out there somewhere. He tailed me as I left the Tower, looking disgustingly pleased with himself. I'm just making sure he enjoys the view." Natasha emphasised her point with a long lick of the ice-cream.

They sat in silence, both watching the people in front of them, lost in thought. Pepper suddenly broke the silence.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here?"

"Fury sent me out to do some surveillance work. I was on my way back when I saw you sitting here, all on your own." Natasha replied.

"I didn't know spies had free time." Pepper said.

"Technically I'm still on-mission. I'm sure Fury won't mind it taking a little longer than planned. Mechanical failures and whatnot." Natasha said.

Pepper smiled. "I appreciate the company, but I still don't know why you're here."

Natasha leaned back into the bench, crossing her legs before she spoke. "Because I know that look."

"What?"

"The look you had when I sat down." Natasha stared off into the distance, her gazed fixed on something far in the past. "It's the same look that girls in the Red Room had after night upon night of brutal training. The look which says you're only just holding together. That you could break at any minute."

"I don't think it's _that _bad." Pepper's protest sounded weak, even to her own ears.

Natasha inclined her head. "Perhaps not. But it's still there." Natasha let out a bitter chuckle. "Trust me. I've been hiding it for far longer than you have."

Pepper opened her mouth to reply- to deny it, but nothing came out. So she sat there, feeling Natasha's words cut through her denial. A faint breeze had started swirling, and was playing around the leaves overhead. Finally Pepper worked up the courage to speak, though she couldn't quite keep the tremor out of her voice.

"How do you do it?"

"Do it?" For the first time ever- or at least, since Pepper had known her- Natasha looked genuinely confused.

"The superhero thing." Pepper waved her hand as she tried to find the right words. "I mean, being different to everyone else."

Natasha responded without a moment's hesitation. "By remembering that no matter what, life goes on." Natasha still looked relaxed, having finished her ice cream long ago, but Pepper could feel the power underscoring every word. "This isn't some optimistic bullshit. I don't mean that _your _life will go on. There were times in the Red Room when I'd rather have died than wake up the next morning. Hell, I didn't know I'd survive my fight with Barton. But here I am." Natasha gestured to herself.

"The Avengers saved the world. I suppose that makes us heroes. Yet I still get up every morning to make breakfast- that computer Stark has is terrible at cooking."

Pepper nodded in agreement. She'd been meaning to talk to Tony about that. Natasha continued.

"I'd prefer not to have to, but I still do it. Everyone has something like that in their lives. We're not really that different. Even Thor showers." Natasha paused for the first time.

"It's been a long time since I've wanted my own death. If it comes, even after fighting against it with everything possible, then that's that. Until it comes though, we just go on living. For me that means saving the world sometimes. And teasing Barton. And making breakfast. For you it means running the Starks- both him and his company- and whatever else your life holds."

Pepper sat frowning. "Ok. But what if Loki had won? You heard him yourself. He wanted to enslave us all."

"He didn't win."

Natasha's response confounded Pepper. How could she not worry about the terrible possibilities? "But what if he had?"

"Then we would've had to-" Natasha's response was cut off by a commotion a few yards in front of them. A child had been slightly over-enthusiastic in his duck-chasing. He'd managed to dive into the middle of a large group, scattering them like a bowling ball into pins. A fair portion of the ducks chose the bench as the closest escape route, something Pepper realised too late. Natasha had sat up, ready to defend herself against the avian swarm. Pepper on the other hand was entirely unprepared.

Most of the ducks missed the women. Most. One particularly unlucky one found itself heading straight for Pepper. Slamming her eyes shut, she instinctively shoved her hands out in front of her in an attempt to keep the bird at bay. When she opened them she found the duck gone; replaced instead by the bitter smell of burnt feathers. Pepper glanced around, trying to find the source of the odour when she noticed Natasha staring at her. Pepper quickly averted her eyes, and suddenly noticed the charred lump of feathers lying just behind the bench. Her eyes widened when she realised what happened,

"Oh no. I just- today has not been a good day."

Pepper could hear Natasha's disbelieving laughter from behind her.

"So that's what you meant by different." Natasha's smile was clear in her voice.

Pepper's cheeks reddened. "Yeah. It's- it's a long story."

"I don't doubt it." Natasha said. "But now's probably a good time to leave. People are giving us strange looks. You can tell your story some other time."

And just like that Natasha stood up and walked away, dress fluttering in the breeze, leaving Pepper to make her own way back, pondering Natasha's words all the while.

-/-/-

The last rays of the sun were just slipping below the horizon when Pepper went searching for Tony. She'd spent the last few hours CEO-ing; Tony's word, though she'd never admit to using it, and making amends for her reaction to the board meeting. She'd written and re-written an email trying to explain extremis, until finally giving in after the fifth attempt. Tony's files on the subject ought to do, she figured. She'd received nothing in response, though, that wasn't unexpected. There was a lot to get though.

Right now there were more important issues to deal with. Such as where on earth Tony was. The workshop was void of him; the hum of his many contraptions ever-present as she'd poked her head around the door in search of him. Neither the kitchen nor the living room held him, though the various boxes of cereal scattered on the countertop in the former certainly proved that he'd been there. Pepper huffed in annoyance. Time to up her game.

"JARVIS, where's Tony?"

"Mr. Stark appears to be reclining on the roof." JARVIS' smooth voice said.

"What's he doing up there?" Pepper wondered aloud.

"Shall I ask him for you?"

"Oh." Pepper was momentarily surprised before realising that she'd been musing aloud. "No thank you. Just send an elevator to this floor please."

"Yes Ms. Potts."

The JARVIS-sent elevator grew closer as Pepper tried to figure out why Tony could possibly want to be on the roof. The doors to the elevator slid open, and Pepper stepped in, ready for a long talk.

She found him sprawled face-down in a recliner, one arm hanging precariously close to a cereal-encrusted bowl. Pepper couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. It was such a _Tony _position to be in. Though as comfortable as he looked, Pepper knew she'd have to move him. So, with the light almost gone, she leaned down to his ear and whispered his name.

No response.

"Tony, you need to move." Pepper accentuated her point by poking him lightly. Something approaching a groan came from him, and he turned his head away from her.

"I know you're awake." Pepper tried to keep her voice serious.

"Muuungh... Idonwanna geddup." Was the muffled response.

"Stop being such a baby. It's evening. You'll freeze if you stay out here." Pepper said.

Tony turned back to her. "It's summer, I'll be fine."

"No, you won't. Besides, what are you doing on the roof?" Pepper asked, finally getting to her question.

"Captain Freedom's been sneaking up here for the past month or so. I thought I'd go see what all the fuss was about. Since he had this wonderful setup here, I figured the paragon of generosity himself wouldn't mind lending his chair to me for a while." Tony finished with a smile, evidently proud of his logic.

"Was falling asleep part of the plan?"

"If I say yes will you believe me?"

Pepper resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, I'm heading downstairs. You can stay here, or you can join me. But only one of those ways ends with us in a bed together."

With that, Pepper stood up and, bowl in hand, strode back to the elevator. Behind her came a dull thud, followed by a groan. For all his insufferable genius, Tony's coordination sometimes failed him in the most spectacular ways.

Pepper had just started with the clean-up of Tony's mess in the kitchen when she heard the hiss of the elevator doors signalling his arrival. He walked, or rather swaggered into the kitchen, mouth already forming the beginning of some sarcastic comment or other. Pepper didn't give him a chance to speak.

"You shouldn't eat that much gluten, Tony."

"Bah, I'll be fine. And besides, I was in a cereal mood. What else could I do but fulfil my cravings? I am a slave to my body's desires." Tony finished with a melodramatic swoon.

Pepper snorted. "You're so full of it."

"Maybe. But cereal is not the only thing I desire." As Tony spoke he moved closer to her. Pepper bit her lip in an attempt to hold back the laughter building up inside her. He was close now, their faces no more than a foot apart. She could smell his aftershave, and the ever-present hints of oil and metal. But it was his expression that broke her control. It was such an earnest attempt at being innocent and seductive at the same time. Pepper burst out laughing.

Tony pulled back, looking confused. "You're not supposed to be laughing. I was being romantic."

"'Cereal isn't the only thing I desire?' That's not exactly Don Juan levels of seduction, Tony." Pepper's response was punctuated by bursts of laughter.

Tony pouted. "Fine. I'll go play by myself then." He turned to leave, but Pepper grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait. Why don't you try again, somewhere where there's no cereal to distract you?" Tony placed his hand over hers, and slowly but surely led her into the bedroom.

"JARVIS, dim the lights."

The lights in the room faded at Tony's command, until Pepper could only just make out his features. This time they held none of the attempted innocence. The intensity of his gaze made Pepper's breath catch in her throat. She shivered as he ran his hands over the cloth of her jacket. She let him slowly, deliberately remove it, while she did the same for his T-shirt. And there it was. His healed chest, missing an arc reactor, but looking more whole than it had been for the last few years. Yet it also held memories of a far less pleasant change. She leaned into his shoulder, and felt his arms curl around her, his fingers drawing small circles on her back.

"Tony?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yes Pepper?" Pepper felt the words as much as she heard them.

"Am I- are we going to be ok?" Pepper focused on Tony's breathing.

"What do you mean?"

"With the extremis thing. Will I always become a fire-monster when I get angry?" Pepper's voice wavered as the asked the question.

Tony's hand stopped its movements. "I don't know, Pep. I've been looking into it, but it's pretty complex."

Pepper stiffened. "I broke a table today, and terrified the Stark board over a stupid reaction to a superhero toy proposal. I don't want to be like that."

"Did you say superhero toys? Like, small plastic versions of me? That'd be awesome! I'd be all over the place- not that I'm not already, but I'd be even more everywhere! And the others too I suppose. This is a great idea. Why didn't you..."

Tony trailed off as he noticed the dampness on his shoulder.

"Pepper."

"I don't want to scare people Tony." Pepper couldn't manage anything more than a whisper.

"Hey, it'll be ok. Bruce and I are working on a way to fix it. And if it's impossible, we'll make a way. That's what we do. That's what _I _do. Fix things." Through her tears Pepper felt a wobbly smile forming. She realised he was hugging her tighter, so she let the rest of her tears fall, safe in the arms of the man she truly loved.

Pepper's tears eventually dried, and lifting her head, she smiled at Tony.

"Do you, ah, still want to- I can sleep too, that's ok." Tony's attempt at moderating his usual self brought warmth to Pepper's heart.

"I've just finished crying, and no likes going to bed sad. We have unfinished business." With that she pulled Tony into a deep, passionate kiss. He returned in kind, and suddenly they were tearing off each other's clothiers. They fell into bed, Pepper closing her eyes and moaning with pleasure as Tony's mouth explored every part of her. She ran her fingers through his hair and tangled her legs in his. A heat was building in her, pushing, flowing, roiling, desperate to show itself as Tony's hands seemed to be everywhere.

Suddenly there were flames all around them. Pepper and Tony sprang apart, ready to flee as the lights shot back up to full, and the fire alarm blared overhead. Before either of them could react, a white foam was sprayed on the bed, extinguishing the flames and leaving a smoking, blackened mattress. Flakes of ash drifted through the air. Pepper finally gathered her thoughts enough to speak.

"Oh my god. What just- how?"

It was then that she realised Tony was grinning. And that the all-too familiar orange glow was fading from her skin.

"Looks like we're going to need a new bed."


End file.
